U.S. Presidents Converge at Dedication of Bush Library

Thursday

Apr 25, 2013 at 1:33 PMApr 26, 2013 at 3:46 AM

UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas | President Barack Obama joined all of his living predecessors Thursday to pay tribute to George W. Bush as the arguments of the past decade gave way, at least for a day, to a more generous appraisal of a leader who responded to great challenges with determination and grit.

By PETER BAKERNew York Times News Service

UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas | President Barack Obama joined all of his living predecessors Thursday to pay tribute to George W. Bush as the arguments of the past decade gave way, at least for a day, to a more generous appraisal of a leader who responded to great challenges with determination and grit.The current and former presidents gathered for the first time since Obama's ascension to dedicate the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum here on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Joining them were a collection of former foreign leaders like Tony Blair of Britain, Ehud Olmert of Israel, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy and John Howard of Australia as well as hundreds of former Bush administration officials and thousands of his admirers.Obama praised Bush for his resolve after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, his compassion in fighting AIDS in Africa and his commitment to overhauling the immigration system. Treading lightly over their disagreements over Iraq and other issues, the president said his predecessor had fought for what he thought was best for his country.“We know President Bush the man,” Obama told the crowd in front of the brick-and-limestone center on a bright, sunny Texas day. “To know the man is to like the man. Because he's comfortable in his own skin. He knows who he is. He doesn't put on any pretenses. He takes the job seriously but he doesn't take himself too seriously. He's a good man.” Laura Bush opened the ceremony by honoring her husband as a caring man who comforted a nation during times of terrorism and war as president and has continued to help the afflicted by rehabilitating a health clinic in Africa as a former president.“I remember how steadfast and steady he was for eight years,” she said, adding, “My George is a man who when someone needs a hand offers them their arms.” It was an emotional moment for Bush, coming four years after leaving office with historic low poll numbers. Bathed in the admiration of his former team and his presidential peers, he recalled the goals that guided his time in office and choked up as he finished his speech. Sitting down to applause, he smiled and wiped tears from his eyes.“In democracy, the purpose of public office is not to fulfill personal ambition,” he said. “Elected officials must serve a cause greater than themselves. The political winds blow left and right, polls rise and fall, supporters come and go. But in the end leaders are defined by the convictions that they hold.” Bush acknowledged the controversies of his time, noting that freedom means the freedom to disagree. “It's fair to say I created plenty of opportunities to exercise that right,” he said with a smile.But he added that visitors to his library will see how he saw it. “They're going to find out that we stayed true to our convictions,” he said, “that we expanded freedom at home by raising standards at school and lowering taxes for everybody, that we liberated nations from dictatorship and freed people from AIDS. And that when freedom came under attack, we made the tough decisions required to make the American people safe.” In addition to Obama, former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush spoke at the program. The event was a public re-emergence of sorts for the elder Bush, who spent weeks in a hospital last winter and at one point appeared close to death. Now in a wheelchair because of a form of Parkinson's disease in his legs, Bush, the 41st president, has recovered considerably and remains lively and engaged, according to people who have seen him lately.Bush said only a few words thanking the crowd and those who had made the library. “It's very special for Barbara and me,” he said, wrapping up by saying, “God bless America, and thank you very much.” The crowd seemed to want more, but when he just waved, they stood in ovation. In an emotional moment, the former president with the help of his son on one side and Barbara Bush on the other managed to lift himself to his feet for a few moments in acknowledgment Clinton, who has become so close to the Bushes that he is often described as a virtual member of the family, offered warm praise for Bush as a president and quasi-brother, mentioning as Obama did, the AIDS program and immigration fight.He lightly touched on the purpose of any presidential library.“I told President Obama this is the latest, grandest example of the eternal struggle of former presidents to rewrite history,” Clinton said with a smile. He recalled how he and Bush used to talk while his successor was in office, then referring to the library behind him joked, “Dear God, I hope there's no record of those conversations in this vast and beautiful building.” Hillary Rodham Clinton, sitting on stage with the other presidents and first ladies, laughed robustly.Clinton and Bush hugged after his talk.Carter, who was a fierce critic of Bush and the war in Iraq during his presidency, praised not only the AIDS program but also recalled how Bush had helped stop more than two decades of war in Sudan.“George W. Bush is responsible for that,” Carter said.Turning to Bush, Carter added, “I'm filled with admiration for you and indeed gratitude for you for the contributions you've made to the most needy people on earth.” Also on hand was former Vice President Dick Cheney, who after a heart transplant last year appeared physically revitalized and in good spirits. Wearing a cowboy hat and khakis, he attended a casual reunion of administration officials at a Dallas bar Wednesday night and never even made it inside as he chatted in the parking lot until past 11 p.m. with colleagues like Karl Rove and Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Ted Cruz of Texas and posed for pictures with former aides and complete strangers alike.Among others spotted or expected Thursday were former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; White House aides like Andrew H. Card Jr., Joshua B. Bolten, Karen Hughes, Dan Bartlett, Joe Hagin, Joel Kaplan, Mary Matalin, Harriet Miers and Anita McBride; and political advisers like Ken Mehlman and Mark McKinnon.In addition to the presidents and their wives, other presidential families were represented by Lucy Johnson, Lynda Robb, Tricia Nixon Cox, Susan Ford Bales and Michael Reagan.Bush's foundation raised more than $500 million for the presidential complex and associated programs. The $250 million facility, on 23 acres at SMU, houses the library and museum, which will be turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration, and a public policy institute, which will remain under Bush's control to promote favored causes like global health and democracy.The museum features the story of Bush's presidency as he sees it, a narrative driven by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and his responses to it. Everything from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to an expansive program to fight AIDS in Africa are cast under the larger theme of spreading freedom around the world.